Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie calls to his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland Eastern Shore in Hartford, Conn., Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. Connecticut won the game 84-50. (AP Photo/Fred Beckham)

HARTFORD -- A couple of weeks ago, Kevin Ollie was asked what he's telling recruits about his future at UConn.

"I'm going to be here for a lifetime," Ollie said.

It may not be for a lifetime, but Ollie will be in Storrs for at least another five years.

Advertisement

The first-year UConn coach has agreed to a contract extension that begins next season and will keep him on the Huskies' sidelines through at least 2017-18. The contract is reportedly worth just under $6 million and includes postseason bonuses.

It also includes stipulations that the Huskies must maintain at least standard Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores.

"We're going to do things well, and we're going to do them properly," Ollie promised at a press conference prior to UConn's Saturday night bout with Washington at the XL Center. "I'm not coming here with a five-year contract. That's what it says on the paper, but we're recruiting for a lifetime here. We're going to recruit like we're going to be here for 20, 25 years."

When Ollie was hired in September after Jim Calhoun's retirement, he was essentially hired on a seven-month contract that expired at the end of this season. His uncertain status seemed to hurt on the recruiting trail, where the Huskies lost out on several high-profile prospects over the past few months.

"You learn from the past, but you don't live in the past," Ollie shrugged. "I'm not living in the past. It's done. We may have had some recruits go to other schools, but that always happens. I can't control that. I can control right now. We're going to go out and get some great recruits. They're going to come to a great university, get a great degree here, and they're going to be able to perform in front of the greatest fans."

Added athletic director Warde Manuel: "Great coaches have lost great recruits, in their prime. I'm sure it didn't help that there was a short-term nature of the deal. But I wanted the opportunity to see Kevin and get a sense of who he was for the long term."

And Manuel has certainly liked what he's seen so far from Ollie, who had guided the Huskies to a 9-2 record entering Saturday's game and has appeared completely in control of the program since the moment he was hired.

"The one thing nobody knew about Kevin was how he would be as the head coach," Manuel said. "What I saw in practice, and before games and as he's made adjustments at halftime, is that Kevin can coach. He can lead this team and put them in the right position to win on the court.

"Then, I saw how he led off the court. How he led these young men, how he encouraged them and talked to them about the importance of academics and life. Kevin's belief is something that you hear when you talk to somebody, but when you see it live out, it's important. Not only is he preparing them to win on the court, he's preparing them to win in the classroom and in life. I saw that on a daily basis. I'm more impressed today with his leadership ability of these young men."

Ollie will receive a base salary of $400,000 per calendar year and he'll receive $800,000 for institutional speaking engagements and media-related appearances for a total of $1.2 million. The payment for speaking engagements will increase by $50,000 each year, meaning his total compensation for each year will be: $1.2 million (2013), $1.25 million (2014), $1.3 million (2015), $1.325 million (2016), $1.34 million (2017) and a $502,500 for 2018 (annualized from Jan. 1 to April 15).

Ollie will receive payments for numerous postseason achievements. He also has incentive to keep his team's APR score up to par. He'll receive a $10,000 payment for an annual APR score of 930 or more. A four-year APR score of 930 or above will result in a one-time payment of $50,000.

If UConn falls short of a 930 APR in an academic year, Ollie will get no postseason payments and a financial sanction could be imposed in the form of withholding payment of the equivalent amount of two weeks' compensation of base salary. Two straight years of a substandard APR could result in suspension of pay or termination of employment with just cause.

Once the four-year APR score for the team reaches 930, the APR language in the contract will revert to standard APR language in all UConn head coaches' contracts.

That's a bit different from Jim Calhoun's last contract extension, agreed to in 2010. Calhoun had to forfeit his 2011 national championship bonus (about $87,500) as well as donate $100,000 to UConn's general scholarship fund due to low APR scores.

Ollie had no issue with the APR language in his contract.

"I have a belief system in my student-athletes," he said. "They're students first, and we're going to get it done. We're going to get the right kids in here, and I believe, with the support system we have, we can cultivate a great learning experience for our guys."

UConn is barred from this year's postseason due to low APR scores in recent years.

"The APR is not his and his alone," Manuel said. "I feel a great responsibility for how our student-athletes do academically ... That's my first priority, to ensure that we recruit student-athletes who want to come to you having a great education, and then play great athletics. Kevin is not alone, regardless of what that language says. However, it's important for us, given where we are, for me to include it in the contract language. This is so important to us that I put that clause in the contract."

Ollie's buyout price is $3 million in 2013, $2 million in 2014, $1 million in 2015, and $800,000 in 2016 and 2017.

The same would be owed by UConn if the agreement is terminated for any reason other than just cause.